URUMQI, June 26 (Xinhua) -- An international media delegation's nine-day fact-finding tour across northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region concluded on Friday, after visits to major cultural, industrial and ecological sites.
The delegation, consisting of 28 media practitioners from 19 countries, including Pakistan, Germany and Spain, gained first-hand insights into the region's multidimensional development.
The delegation's first stop was Turpan, where the local government has integrated tourism development with new energy industry layout in recent years. While cultural heritage sites such as the Karez Irrigation System and Jiaohe Ancient City have become signature tourism draws, large-scale wind and solar power projects are also being rolled out in an orderly manner.
A concentrated solar power plus photovoltaic integrated project in Turpan left a deep impression on Balazs Csongor, a special correspondent for Hungary's Mandina Weekly. The project, which features a huge heat-absorbing tower surrounded by 21,865 heliostats that convert sunlight into clean electricity, entered full commercial operation in September 2025. It is expected to generate 1.6 billion kWh of electricity annually, equivalent to saving 480,000 tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.32 million tonnes per year.
"China has set a stellar example for the world on how to leverage solar and wind power to advance green energy development," Csongor noted.
In Hotan, located south of the Tianshan Mountains and adjacent to the Taklimakan Desert, the delegation visited the Yotkan Ancient City, a cultural scenic spot built based on the historical background of the ancient Khotan Kingdom dating back to the Han (202 B.C.- A.D. 220) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, where tourists can experience traditional folk customs through immersive performances.
Naail Hafeez, host of Maldives' Sun Online, who interacted with performers during the visit, said: "China preserves its culture through diversified approaches and showcases it to the world via tourism, striking an admirable balance between heritage inheritance and industrial development."
He has produced a series of short videos titled "Naail in Xinjiang" and posted them on his personal social media accounts, adding, "I will take many unforgettable memories home, and these videos will attract more people to visit Xinjiang."
During their stay in Hotan, the delegation also watched a match of the first Xinjiang football super league, an amateur tournament open to players from all walks of life. Andoni Corrales Betanzos, an author for Spain's Our Flag, commented: "People's passion for football here is palpable. What matters most is that more ordinary people are involved, teaching children cooperation and resilience from a young age, which is of great significance."
Official data shows that as of the end of 2025, Xinjiang has 4,936 football pitches with a total area of over 16.65 million square meters, as local football culture continues to thrive and supporting facilities are continuously improved.
The delegation also visited the Cele desert research station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and local enterprises, to learn about China's experience in desertification control and sand-based industry development.
Reabetsoe Makoe, editor of South Africa's Global South Web, said that while many people only pay attention to deserts in northern Africa, southern Africa also has a considerable area of sandy land. "China's technologies and resources deployed in desert governance are impressive. The ability to maintain ecosystems and grow vegetation in extreme conditions is transformative and offers valuable references for regions facing similar desertification challenges."
On the day before leaving Xinjiang, the delegation attended the 9th China-Eurasia Expo. Launched in 2011, the expo has become an important platform for high-level diplomatic exchanges between China and Eurasian countries, as well as for the construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Ivan Evgenevich, editor-in-chief of Kyrgyzstan Economist, said: "We can observe the evolution of cooperation between China and Eurasian countries at the expo. While cooperation used to focus more on agriculture, it has now expanded to cutting-edge sectors such as artificial intelligence." ■
